Arizona vs. Stanford live updates: Score and analysis from the NCAA women’s national championship game

NCAA tournament results: beat Stony Brook, 79-44; BYU, 52-46; Texas A&M, 74-59; Indiana, 66-53; Connecticut, 69-59

Final Four: Coach Adia Barnes and the Wildcats continued to reach new heights after toppling perennial powerhouse Connecticut to clinch the first national championship appearance in program history.

Outlook: Arizona is a defensive team first and watching them on that side of the ball is like poetry in motion. The extended, press-style defense that the Wildcats run usually makes teams susceptible to baskets off back cuts, but because of their quickness on the perimeter they successfully initiate traps on a regular basis. As a result, the sightlines of the ballhandler become so limited that when someone gets free on a cut they can’t see them.

When the traps are unsuccessful, the Wildcats do a great job of rotating and keeping their head on a swivel. Versus the Huskies — a team that thrives off movement and cuts toward the basket — Arizona’s extended pressure and defensive rotations caused Connecticut to catch the ball in uncomfortable positions which led to a 35.7 percent shooting performance.

On offense, the Wildcats are reminiscent of singing group Destiny’s Child. While Arizona’s supporting cast plays an integral part, the team’s success is solely dependent on the performance of its version of Beyoncé, Aari McDonald.

Through five tournament games, McDonald has hit all the right notes averaging 25.4 points and 6.8 rebounds. Should McDonald continue to play at a high level versus Stanford, the recipe for the remaining Wildcats is simple. They just have to hit enough shots to keep the defense honest. But should she struggle, things will get dicey.

Quotable: “We’re shooting the ball better, we’re defending better, we’re playing better basketball than we were when we played them.” — Barnes on whether the third time will be the charm versus Stanford